1. Field
Embodiments described generally relate to methods for forming a geothermal well. More particularly, such embodiments relate to methods for drilling a geothermal wellbore loop and flowing a fluid medium through the wellbore loop to exchange heat with a subsurface environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A geothermal wellbore generally encases vertical supply and return pipes that are parallel to one another and connected with a U-shaped bend at the bottom. A fluid medium flows down the supply pipe and back up the return pipe exchanging heat with the surrounding subsurface environment throughout the flow path. However, as the supply and return pipes are disposed in the same wellbore and separated by only a few inches, an undesirable transfer of heat occurs between the supply and return pipes, thus resulting in a significant efficiency loss to the system.
There is a need, therefore, for new methods to substantially eliminate the undesirable transfer of heat between the supply and return pipes in a geothermal wellbore.